Fountain Military Criminal Defense Lawyer

Are you looking for a military criminal defense lawyer in Fountain, CO?

At Christian A. Schwaner, P.C. DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer, we represent service members and their families facing criminal charges, with over twenty years of experience in the courts around Fort Carson.

If you are a service member facing a criminal charge in the Fountain area, the case can reach beyond the courtroom to your command, your security clearance, and your career. Our Fountain, CO military criminal defense lawyer can review the charge and the arrest, explain how the state court and the military side interact, and lay out your choices. At Christian A. Schwaner, P.C. DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer, we build the defense around both the criminal case and the military career at stake. You can start with a free consultation and an honest read on where you stand.

Military Criminal Defense Lawyer Fountain, CO

The Fourth Judicial District, which includes Fountain, is home to five military installations, among them Fort Carson, and to an estimated 86,000 veterans, according to district court data. Many of the cases filed here involve people who wear the uniform. For those in uniform, a charge is never only a legal problem; it is also a professional one that a command can act on.

Military criminal defense, in a civilian court, means defending a service member against a criminal charge while accounting for what a conviction can do to a military career. The charge itself is a Colorado matter, heard in the same state courts as any other case. What sets it apart is the second set of consequences: a command can act under military rules, a security clearance can be reviewed, and a career can be placed at risk. A defense has to address both at once.

Types of Military Criminal Defense Cases We Handle in Fountain

The charges that most often reach a command fall into a handful of familiar categories. Some begin with a traffic stop, others with an argument at home or an accusation on post. Whatever the source, each one carries a civilian penalty and a separate military risk, and our office defends the full range.

• DUI. A stop near a base can affect a clearance long before the case is resolved. We handle the state case and the license side together.
• Assault and violent charges. Allegations of violence draw immediate attention from a command. We work to protect both the record and the service member’s standing.
• Domestic violence. These cases carry mandatory civilian conditions and can end a career on their own. We treat them with the urgency they demand.
• Drug offenses. The military applies little tolerance to drug allegations. We question how the evidence was gathered and what it actually shows.
• Theft, fraud, and honesty offenses. A charge that raises questions about honesty can affect a clearance more than the sentence itself. We keep that consequence in view.
• Protection orders and related matters. A single order can restrict duty, housing, and access to firearms. We move quickly to respond.
• Speeding Tickets. Aggravated or repeat traffic charges can rise to a criminal level that a command will notice. We work to resolve them before they reach that point.

Why Choose Christian A. Schwaner, P.C. DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer as My Military Criminal Defense Lawyer in Fountain, CO?

Defense That Protects the Career, Not Only the Case

For a service member, a criminal conviction reaches well beyond the courtroom. It can bring command discipline, a security-clearance review, and, in serious cases, administrative separation. Defending a service member takes a criminal defense lawyer in Fountain, CO who can manage the case in state court and address how it affects the service member’s military standing. Christian Schwaner has defended criminal cases in this region for more than two decades and knows what is at stake for someone in uniform. There is an advantage to hiring a former prosecutor: the lawyer facing the state has worked on that side and knows where a case is strong and where it is not. Our focus stays on both fronts, the result in court and its effect on your standing in the service.

Local Experience and a Trial Record

Christian Schwaner has been a Colorado lawyer since 1997. For years before he opened the firm, he worked as a prosecutor himself. He served the El Paso and Teller County district attorney’s office and was called on as a special prosecutor for matters in Pueblo, as well as in the Canon City area. During that time he was noted for taking more cases to trial than his peers, a distinction tied to sheer courtroom volume. If a case cannot be resolved through negotiation and has to go to trial, that experience is what makes the difference. A first consultation costs nothing, clients stay in direct contact with the attorney handling their case, and we give service members a plain assessment of where the case stands and what it could mean for a career.

Understanding Military Criminal Cases

Charges, Penalties, and the Military Consequences

A service member facing a criminal charge deals with two separate matters at once: the case in civilian court and the response inside the military. In the civilian court, Colorado sorts offenses into felonies and misdemeanors and lesser categories, and a conviction can bring the consequences the offense allows. On the military side, that same conviction can prompt a separate response. A civilian conviction can lead to:

• Fines, probation, or jail, depending on the offense.
• A criminal record that a clearance review will find.
• Command or administrative action under military rules.
• In serious cases, a path toward separation from service.

Charges that involve violence or dishonesty carry the most weight, and some can be filed as felonies, which raises the exposure on both the civilian and military sides. A felony DUI, for example, carries weight in both systems. Where the state’s proof is thin, there is often a path to reduce or drop the charge, and for a service member a lesser result can be the line between a career interrupted and a career ended.

How a Military Criminal Case Moves Forward

A service member’s case tends to move on two timelines that overlap. The civilian case follows the court’s schedule, and the military response follows the command’s. In practice that looks like:

• The civilian track: arrest and charge, first appearance, disclosure of the evidence, negotiation, and either a resolution or a trial.
• The military track: notice to the command, possible administrative action, a clearance review where one applies, and, in serious cases, separation proceedings.
• Where they meet: the outcome of the civilian case often affects the military one, so the order and timing of each step matters.

Because the two proceed on separate schedules, an early strategy on the criminal case helps protect the service member’s position on the military side.

What Makes These Cases Different

Two features set a service member’s case apart. The first is timing: a command can act before the civilian case is over, so decisions cannot wait for the court alone. The second is the record: a result that looks minor in civilian terms can weigh heavily in a clearance review or a promotion file. A steady defense strategy accounts for both, and part of that work is testing the state’s evidence, including witness impeachment when an accuser’s account does not hold up. The goal is the strongest possible civilian result, which in turn limits the effect on a service member’s military standing.

What to Bring to a First Meeting

Bring what you have from the case; it makes the first meeting far more productive. Useful documents include:

• The charging document, citation, or summons you were given.
• Paperwork from the arrest or the police report, if you have it.
• Anything your command has already sent you.
• Notes on your rank, unit, and clearance status.

There is no charge for that first conversation. We look at the charge, explain how the civilian and military tracks interact, and lay out the realistic options.

Fountain Courts and Local Resources

Which court hears a Fountain case depends on how the charge was written. Some municipal matters stay with the Fountain Municipal Court, and state charges are filed with the El Paso County courts that serve the Fourth Judicial District. That district operates specialized dockets as well, among them a Veteran’s Trauma Court open to eligible service members and veterans. When a charge affects driving privileges, the Colorado DMV records the points, suspensions, and driving history. A careful look at the paperwork, for both the court and the appearance date, is the sensible first move.

Reach Out to Christian A. Schwaner, P.C. DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer to Schedule a Consultation

A charge near Fort Carson puts both your freedom and your career on the line, and facing it with steady guidance makes a real difference. Our Fountain military criminal defense lawyer provides a free consultation and an honest look at what you are up against. At Christian A. Schwaner, P.C. DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer, we take on the criminal case with the military stakes in full view. Contact us and we will find a time to talk.